Automatic door opener



Dec. 25, 1923. 1,478,601

F. E. DAVIS AUTOMAT I C DOOR OPENER Filed Nov. 12. 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet Qwucnloz FRANK BUM/l5,

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Dec. 25, 1923. 1,478,601

F. E. DAVIS AUTOMATIC DOOR OPENER' Filed Nov. 12, 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 8 24 36 FRRNKE.DRV|5,

Fatented Dec. 25, 31923.

UNETEE STATES FR E. DAVIS,-0F INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA.

AUTOMATIC D003 GPENEBI.

Application filed November 12, 1921. Serial No. 514,538.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that T, FRANK E. DAvls, a citizen of the United States, residing at Indianapolis, in the county of Marion and State of Indiana, have invented a new and useful Automatic Door Opener, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to produc a cheap, substantial and efficient apparatus by means of which closures such as garage doors, gates, etc., may be operated automatically by control from points distant from the closures, the apparatus being more especially. designed for use in connection with garage doors in order that said doors may be opened and closed without the necessity of the driver getting out of the car.

The accompanying drawings illustrate my invention. Fig. 1 is a side elevation of my apparatus installed in a garage; Fig. 2, a plan of the parts shown in Fig. 1, the garage being shown in horizontal section; Fig. 3, a section on line 33 of Fig. 4 of the power drum; Fig. 4, a side elevation, in partial vertical section, of the parts shown in Fig. 3; Fig. 5, a plan of the parts shown in Fig. 3; Fig. 6 a fragmentary plan of the sliding cross-head; Fig. 7, a side elevation in partial vertical section of the cross-head; Fig. 8, a detail of the side elevation of the electrically controlled latch, and Fig. 9, a plan of said latch.

In the drawings 10, 10 indicate a pair of ordinary hinged doors, to each of which is pivoted a horizontal link 11, which-links, at their adjacent ends, are pivotally connected at 12 to a sliding cross-head 13 mounted to slide in ways 14. A tension spring 15 connects the two links 11, 11 at intermediate points so as to furnish a power component tending to draw the two links together, and to hold the doors in closed position.

Connected to cross-head 13 is a pitman 16 which is journaled on the wrist pin 17 of the crank 18 carried by a motor shaft 19 which is mounted in suitable bearings in a frame 20. J ournalled freely upon shaft 19 is a motor drum 21 provided with a channel 22 in which is wound a cable 23 carrying a suspended weight 24. Drum 21 also is provided with a channel 25 in which is mounted a re-wind cable 26 which is carried to a point of convenient access. The two cables 23 and 26 are wound in opposite directions.

Secured to shaft 19 is a ratchet wheel 27 which cooperates with pawl 28 on drum 21.

Secured to the hub'of ratchet wheel 27 is a disk 29 and journaled upon the hub of the ratchet wheel, adjacent disk 29, is a disk 30 provided with a circumferential groove 31 in which lies loosely a coiled tension spring 32, the opposite ends of which are connected respectively to the disks 29 and 30. Disk 30 carries a pair of diametrically opposed oppositely extending arms 33, 33, either of which may be engaged by the bolt 34 of an electrically controlled latch 35. The details of latch 35 form no part of my present invention and T have shown a construction which is readily obtainable in the open market. In this construction, the bolt 34 is pivoted at 34 and provided with a tail 36 which takes into a groove 37 in a rock shaft 38 provided with a tail 39 which co-operates with finger 40 carried by a pivoted armature 41 of an electro-magnet 42, the parts being yieldingly held in the position shown in full lines in Fig. 9 by spring 43. When finger 40 is withdrawn from in front of tail 39, upon energization of the coils 42, bolt 34 will be swung to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 9 by one of the fingers 33 or 33 of the disk 30.

An ordinary lighting circuit is brought into the building and provided with lamp leads 51 controlled from a switch 52 which is automatically controlled by a slotted link 53 connected to a pitman 54 on shaft 19. The circuit wires 55 of the electro-magnet 42-are in circuit with the low voltage side of a transformer 56 which is connected to the leads 51. The control circuit 55 is led to a suitably distant point outside of the garage and there provided with a controlling switch 57 and a similar controlling switch 58 is arranged in the house. Switch 57 may very conveniently be of the well-known keyless lock type and should preferably be provided with a water proof skirt 59.

The operation is as follows: The drum 21 is set for operation by pulling down upon cable 26 and thus raising weight 24. Forward rotation of shaft 19 is normally stopped by the co-action of finger 33 against latch 34 and rearward rotation of the shaft is prevented by teeth 60, on disk 29, and pawl 61 on casing 20, the weight 24 being balanced by spring 32 and crank 18 being in the position shown in dotted lines in Fi 2, at which time the doors are closed. i driver a proaching the gara e, manipulates switch at a point suficient y'distant from the garage to permit free swingingof the doors 10. This causes a release of bolt 34 whereupon the weight 24 starts shaft .19 into rotation, the disk 30, however, moving more rapidly than shaft 19 and its opposite finger 33 being brought somewhat promptly into engagement with the reprojected bolt 34. Rotation of shaft 19 causes'pitman 16 to act upon cross-head 13 and to open the doors by the medium of the links 11. As the crank 18 nears the position shown in full lines in Figs. 1 and 2, link 53 throws a switch 52, which is arranged in .the circuit of the lamp leads 51 so as to light the lamp 51. As the driver enters the garage, he manipulates switch 58, the bolt 34 is released and the motor serves to automatically close the doors, any jar being prevented by the action of spring 32. It will be notedthat the vertical movement of the weight 245is suflicient to impart at least one complete rotation to the drum 21 and if desired may be arranged to impart more than one complete rotation so that a number of operations of the door may be provided for by one rewinding of the apparatus.

I claim as my invention:

1. The combination of a movable closure, a cross head, a link connecting said cross head and closure, a motor driven rotary head, means for reventing said head from rotating in one direction, a connection between said rota head and cross head, a stop carried by t e rotating head and a cooperating stop adjacent said head for normally preventing rotation of the head in the opposite direction, one of the stops being provided with an electrically controlled element for retracting the same. from the path of the other sto and means for controlling said electrica ly controlled element from a distant point.

2. The combination of a movable closure,' a cross-head, a link connecting said crosshead and closure, and a rotary drum, a connection between said rotary drum and crosshead, a stop carried by the drum, and resilientl connected thereto, a cooperating stop ,a jacent the drum and engaged by the stop of the drum to prevent rotation thereof, oneof the stops being provided with an electrically controlled element for retracting the stop from the path of the other stop, and means for controlling said electrically controlled element from a distant point.

3. The combination with a pair of swinging doors, of a pair of operating links pivoted to said doors, a cross head connected to said links, guide-ways for said cross head,

to rotate in one direction, means for preventing the rotation of said'mechanism in the opposite direction and a stop mechanism cooperating with said motor mechanism for normally stopping said mechanism and holding the same against movement at the end of each half revolution.

4. The combination with a pair of swinging doors of a pair of operating links pivoted to said doors, a cross-head connected to said links, guide ways for said cross-head, a rotary motor mechanism connected to said cross-head, stop mechanism co-operating with said motor mechanism for normally stopping said mechanism and holding the same against movement at the end of each half revolution, and a resilient connection between said stop mechanism and said motor mechanism.

5. The combination with a motor drum, a shaft driven thereby, a ratchet connection between said drum and shaft, a motor member for rotating the drum in one direction, a re-wind member for rotating the drum in the opposite direction, a' stop member associated with the drum and relatively rotatable, and a resilient connection between said stop member and drum.

6. The combination with a motor drum, a shaft driven thereby, a ratchet connection between said drum and shaft, a motor member for rotating the drum in one direction, a re-wind member for rotating the drum in the opposite direction, a disk carried by the drum, a second disk associated with the first disk and relatively rotatable and provided with means for co-operating with an external stop member, and a spring nested between the two disks and connected at its ends to said disks.

7. The combination with a swinging door, of an operating link pivoted thereto, a cross-head connected to said link, a rotary head having a link arm connected to said cross-head, a pair of stops carried by said rotary head, a relatively stationary abutment stop in the path of said stops for engaging the same to prevent the rotation of said head in one direction, means for preventing the rotation of said head in the opposite direction, a drum connected to said head, means for imparting rotary movement to said drum, and means for winding said drum in the opposite direction without rotating said head. y

In witness whereof, I, FRANK E. Davis, have hereunto set my hand at Indianapolis, Indiana, this 21st day of October, A. D, one thousand nine hundred and twenty-one.

a rotary motor mechanism connected to said cross head and having a constant tendency FRANK E. DAVIS. 

